The Old Hunter
by runicwolf
Summary: The hunter...A man whom was a waste of skin...One who has slain and felled countless monstrosities and beasts of the most foul of nature. Released from the clutches of nightmare and sent into the world of RWBY by an ending of his own hands. All he wants is peace...The question is; Can he find and maintain his peace?
1. Chapter 1: The waking world

My very first crossover...and some writing experimenting. So...Enjoy.

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Fate seems to always despise my very being.

I was brought into the world as a waste of skin. My first step into the maze of a city named Yharnam and I still was a deprived human. Nothing...I was nothing. Talentless. Maybe I shouldn't have been even conceived by forgotten parents. Not even borne...But...I still lived on...I'm not sure what compelled me to continue. Especially in this nightmare. Or even before that. Was it some deluded, twisted child fantasy and a moment of lost common sense? Or did some cosmic being make me tread the path I did? I don't know, but here I am; Trudging through the horrors, all the blood, all the slaughter, and attempting to defeat eldritch beasts from another dimension and their twisted creatures pulled directly from the nightmares of an overdosed asylum patient.

Did I experience fear? Of course. But did I run and cower in anxiety? Only when the gigantic monstrosity with an anus sewn onto its face does a super leap of doom and tries to stomp on me.

I have staved off hunters from who knows where and...somehow even went back in time...I think. Or is the nightmare layers upon layers of reality? What am I? Am I even a living being? Or am I a plaything to be killed over and over again?...Well, at least I considered myself something alive...What was I pandering about again?

...Oh right...

Despite being a waste of flesh...I did what no one could...Maybe...There probably is millions of others who could do what I did and a few of those even going through it naked and using his or her fists only. I had slain horrors who could and did cut me down in a single stroke. I persisted, however, as I had nothing to lose, but something to strive toward. My only guiding light; an accomplishment I could call my own pride and joy. Plus, as cliche as it may be, the ones around me...Some of them anyway. I just wanted to see the end of the nightmare...

The only thing to lose was probably my sanity...but my depression already did a number on me so it would take a lot to break something already broken. Or was it to break something already reinforced from breaking too much? Can't remember...

Right at the end. I finally made it to the end. Where the hunter's dream burned and white flower petals flew with the wind, ashes, and cinders. I could smell Old Yharnam as I spotted Old Gherman.

I was asked politely to give my life...To escape the horror of the nightmare and into the waking world. If I had fought the old hunter; the first hunter...Well...Whether or not I'll win or lose doesn't matter. I have a feeling I would just be set into his place as the new guardsman. Or maybe, be turned into one of those abominations from beyond the stars.

Even if I did leave...What would stop the cosmic horrors from looking down upon me from their throne? If I forget...If I leave the dream...I may die once and only once, and for the last time. Would I be able to defend myself? Would I be at peace even? Would the setting sunrise bring me tranquility?

My old world had given me no reason to live...And if I return, my life, my wasted life, would still amount to nothing. But...if I can...I will allow my sever to this one.

The ones above, the ones above all of us; They may win, and this may be my surrendering or just giving up. But this is my honest decision. I at least get the decency to decide my fate. If this was a false, or terrible mistake...Then it is my mistake, something I had done myself and no one else, and I just need to survive, adapt, and not die...My will to live is surprisingly steadfast...Or am I just a fool? Just like the others?

I willingly allowed the scythe blade to encounter my neck. No regrets...No anxiety...For one of the few times I can truly say...I wanted peace of mind...peace of heart...Is that too much to ask? Not from the nightmare, but from myself.

"Farewell, my keen hunter. Fear the blood" I felt so elated...so happy...Someone will miss me. I won't fear; The old master cares. The doll cares. There were probably others, but those two come to mind first. I actually, felt something for those two. That alone, that feeling, will be my beacon to not fear. My life alone, before bloodshed, was not the brightest. so I say, with heartfelt smile, a rare figment of a lost time,

"Farewell"

The next moment, I had become beheaded. Everything disappeared...I...What do I feel?

Old Gherman...rarely, when he is sleeping, I heard his cries. His nightmares spoke out, and he wanted solace. He wanted someone to save him. Yet, despite being trapped for who knows how long within the dream...He still wanted to release me. The old fool...The old hero...He did not want others to suffer anymore than he did. Who feels more guilt? Me? Or him?...Like he, I have suffered as well. Despite going through the fright of the endless hunt, even when I had gone that far...I...Couldn't release him from the cycle...Selfish of me, no? A coward am I?...Maybe...Maybe...

Would the cycle have ended though? That is the question...

Was it a good idea to smile? No, it was not. I only gave the old hunter more guilt...Damn it...It was a pure reaction, but still...

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I blinked once...Twice...Thrice. It felt like someone shot me in the head with a lead ball...or an arrow...or both. Had that happen before; I administered first aid on myself that time because no one lent a hand, or even pity; Piss-poor first aid at that. I grabbed my head in pain and I shuffled around; hearing the crisp sound of grass. I smelled the air...a refreshing scent...a much needed commodity. I stared up at the sky...at the canopy of a bright green forest...through the leaves a bright sky. It's...heartwarming that I felt whole this moment. Nothing would-

A great roar pierced my ears and destroyed my perception to my current reality. I stood up at the ready like a minuteman. The weapon in my arms, I had prepared and formed my defense like a veteran...I can't seem to recall where I got my skills hailed from, but I am not arguing. At least I have a talent to call mine. Or the illusion of one.

A beast of the woods came to greet me. A pure, black being with bone armor, all-fours, red eyes of bloodshed, and teeth of flesh-tearing. A bear-like beast like that...I would've ran, maybe, if I didn't have a weapon, but I happened to procure such a weapon from some place which now lay in my confident hands.

This weapon of mine is a large, worn sword of sorts; I felt like it was an old friend I haven't seen in ages past...Which is odd considering all of my 'friends' backstabbed me...literally. But I felt one with it...Like I invested my own blood into the form it is now. And I had the feeling I should be poking the beast to death for some reason. My other is a pistol of sorts; This small instrument...It feels like an underestimated weapon.

While I contemplated my...pride and joy of a blade, the beast charged forward at me. Clumsily that it is, or I had developed my skills and dexterity somehow, I side stepped and avoided the initial swipe swiftly. I thrust my sword truly and pierced the hide of the beast; Stunning it momentarily. I did the same action twice in succession and then finished with a slash; The beast, then, fell with ease. I stood there wondering and pondering...Why did I know how to fight like that? Without second thinking I mean...Muscle memory? I wasn't captured by anxiety...nor second-guessed myself...No hesitation...whose weapon was this anyway? Did I rob it from some priest when I was drunk on something?

The roar of the beast had attracted others as more came from the woodwork. A group of five had decided to come ruin my day. Feeling the need for some extra power, I holstered my pistol and disengaged my sword into a war pick...And I just realized this was a transforming weapon; A very quick transforming weapon as well...Gives me an idea.

All five charged at my position. The ones of front, two of them, slashed on forward as I unleashed a horizontal attack, which felt like a thrust for some reason, and stunned the two of them for a second. The next one went for a flurry of slashes and I continued on back stepping until it lunged forward to bite my neck. I sidestepped, transformed my weapon, and stabbed the beast with the sword into his flank. I quickly pulled the sword out to see that the last two were surrounding me and the two I stunned were now hungry for my throat. From my inventory, I quickly brought out a delayed rope molotov.

All four charged as the fifth was recovering and I rolled away while dropping my molotov. Miraculously, none of them managed to hit me and they all experienced the burning fire of...whatever is in the molotov. All four stunned, I ran at the fifth one, whom was just recovering, and smashed its face in with the war pick; killing it outright. I quickly turned at my remaining prey and quickly moved. I remembered which ones were the most damaged and struck both of them with a single swing; killing them as well. The forth to die was brought down with a strong overhead strike. The fifth had recovered from the fire and charged at me. As it raised its arms, I quickly reverted my warpick, brought out my pistol, and shot it. This perfect moment staggered the beast and I automatically struck my hand into its abdomen and performed a visceral attack. This critical move brought down the last of the band of beasts and I looked around to see that their bodies were disappearing...

For some reason, this didn't faze me in the slightest...but it did make me question what they were made of...and then I feared that the beasts I fought were the type to endlessly spawn no matter how many die.

Fearing a battle of endless attrition, I scattered and scuttled away from the scene...

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A man in green, who had wielded a cane in his hand and a coffee mug in his other, was watching one of the many camera screens when he had witnessed a man garbed in the old hunter set taking care of five grimm by himself using the church pick and the molotov-type that no one ever uses. More or less interested in the man's sudden appearance in the emerald forest rather than his abilities, he continued watching while his female colleague expressed her disdain over the intruding party and wanted to remove him from the premises and away from the students if he were an enemy.

The man in green, Ozpin, reassured her that nothing will go awry. After all, he had spotted and kept track of the hunter when he had first appeared. His smile at the bright sky was similar to one of his other students. If he were up to no good, then this hunter would truly be a terrifying one. But, with his experience at hand, he had little worry about the intentions of their new guest...Hopefully...Though his aged clothing did skew some...thoughts.

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Even if I had nothing to worry, my instincts say otherwise. I may be wrong, but better to be incorrect than dead. While running off into a random direction, I encountered a large bear like beast coming from the bushes. This one larger than the last group I faced, I decided to not deal with it and ran into another direction post-haste. If I could find someone at least, maybe I could learn if these creatures respawned indefinitely or not. Even if some, more or less, were easy to take care of in few numbers...getting attacked by many is never good. You will be overpowered by sheer numbers regardless of strength.

Still...Despite the threat of being attacked by big black monsters of...evil, this place is very nice...I would love to spend the rest of my days here in peace. If I could, I might even consider joining a school and-...Suddenly the thought of attending a school did not bode well with me. If anything, it was ill-will. Images of monstrous experiments, hellish creatures, and insane blood-thirsty scholars drove through my brain at the speed of my bullets...Also the scene of falling white comets from the great beyond trying to murder me entered...And worst of all; Spiders...Spiders everywhere. Not sure what that is supposed to be, but I know the spiders will haunt me for life.

...Wait why was my first thought in enjoying peace joining a school?...

Eventually, and it seemed like I didn't notice my directioning, I had made it to a stone bridge and ruins. Surrounding the current area was a tall cliff face, an impenetrable fog under, and several tall towers of stone with columns everywhere. I carefully tread new ground as I checked for any possible trap or some unknown beast approaching from below. Then, I heard a loud screech, from above even. I looked to the sky and saw a giant mass of a bird, all black and skeletal plating like the others...and then I realized something...I didn't have the equipment to deal with this creature.

Pistol didn't have the sufficient range, and I didn't have anything like a bow, cannon, or rifle to make the distance count. I might as well throw glorified stones to bring it down.

How shall I take care of flying opponents? Then the bird shot out rows upon rows of sharpened feathers...Correction, how shall I take care of flying opponents with ranged attacks? I nimbly avoided the fast projectiles mid-thought and began running back where I came from, then made a scenic route to where ever is better than here...

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Now that I think about it, where is everyone? I can't be the only one here, am I? And where the hell was I for that matter. What happened in my memory gap?...Considering how I imagined parts from some obscure memory, maybe I should name my two main weapons. Since I used a priest as an initial metaphor, and because it sounds cool, my sword-pick will be named the 'Church Pick' while my pistol would be...the' hunter pistol'; A simple name for a simple gun, but it does its job, just like the its function.

Now that I think about it...again...I feel a lot more confident in myself and am more responsive now than I did before...I really do wonder what happened between when my memory collapsed and when it ended...

Whatever it was, I hoped myself in memory had cherished every bit of whatever was there to help him...

It seemed I did develop from my lost memory...As such, I just need to adjust, not ignore, this bred skill from foreign beginnings.

After I stopped running, I heard the scream of a young girl blast through the forest. As a familiar sound, I only wished for that soul to rest in piece and into a better world. If she were in fact still alive...Well, if you went into such a dangerous forest, I assume, then it is by fault of your own choice that you failed to prepare accordingly or get good friends at the very least. Or maybe, don't try something greater than you could ever hope of doing. Or, if by my own experience says anything, the people who sent you here are sadists.

Whether or not to run to that person's aid depends on my aversion against others...Well, I'm not a saint, nor a old tale hero, or a selfless friend-to-all man, so good luck young woman and hope your hero is not me...

Could I have made it in time in the first place?...I don't know...Unlikely

Is she dead? Considering the sounds...Maybe...

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Things change from the paths we walk. Even by a crossroads, where we change, there are times where we refuse to let go or are too stubborn to change. And then, there are moments where some paths, no matter how much they branch, lead to the same place.

Why do I say such a thing? Because apparently I got lost and I ended up at the stone bridge again...and I see a set of eight colorful teenagers with transformation weapons fighting off an oversized scorpion and the large bird that I escaped from. And you know what I think? I am both envious and a bit emasculated by their movements. It appears that these children are superhuman, or augmented super-soldiers, because in all my time of living, not once have I seen someone who moves quite like they do. It's impressive and I wonder if I just accidentally avoided people like that in my own reality; If they were in my world that is.

Well...Out with the old and in with the new, the saying goes I guess. They don't need me, I can tell that they can handle it themselves. I probably could do something; Maybe backstab the giant scorpion with a power attack, use a shaman bone blade and see what happens, or chuck endless oil urns and molotovs like they were going out of sale. But no; No need to waste resources. I'm going to need them...

Seriously, what kind of training regime and experiments did they do to those kids? And who's their weapons engineer? I would love to shake their hand and give them a medal of honor.

You know what feels weird? A crawling sensation has been bugging a part of my brain. It feels like someone has been watching me...How long? Since I had awaken from my slumber...

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As Ozpin was watching the hunter borne of blood, the man had mysteriously disappeared after taking out a blue elixir and ingesting it. Curious on the man's intentions, beforehand, the aged hunter sent out a squad to follow the man...If they could even find him now that is...

Still, the hunter of blood did not intervene in affairs he didn't belong to. He demonstrated his ability in both combat in efficiency and knowing when one is not prepared or not. Noting what he has seen thus far, Ozpin simply wanted to talk with the man. The foreign hunter, however, avoided everyone like they were the embodiment of the plague.

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I am being hunted by unknown hostiles. I don't know if they are friendly or not. If they are the enemy, I am not afraid to slay them, but that would be unnecessary bloodshed. Also I may even piss them off further than need be. If they were friends...Well, that is a fault on my behalf. I have lived in a nameless world, where no one has a name, and everyone was dying to survive. I know, at the least, how to run, hide, and avoid trouble. I am not taking risks...Could one blame me? Still, these people...Like the colorful young ones I have seen before...I have never seen the likes of them in my lifetime. Have I been that ignorant of my environment? Or...Is there something more?

...At this point, I need to stop questioning why I am carrying all of these items. The bullets, what I'm assuming is various medication, a lantern, molotovs, oil urns and as a stretch some paper...which may or may not be a good idea to write on; All these items made some semblance of sense. Some of the more odder items included some elixir, one apparently makes me invisible, giant rocks the size of my head, bone blades, bone marrow ash, someone's bone, severed hands, a tiny morning star, eyes, runes, a worn-out whistle and blood...lots, and lots of blood vials...Uh...Did I develop a weird fetish in my missing memory? Did I? Whose hand did I cleave off? And what's with the copious amount of blood?

To add even more absurdity, my church pick and hunter pistol are not the only weapons on me...And somehow, I am capable of carrying all of this without moving like a crippled slug...Or looking like a walking human backpack. Not sure how that works.

I sneaked and weaved my way around all of the unknown opponents. The problem lies not in being detected, but what I and they would do if negotiation turned hostile. Would I die? Could I end up killing someone so young? Or will I be captured and tortured out of whatever information their masters want? I ask myself too many questions...Just run...Do not do anything unnecessary...

Run through the forest, run I say!...Keep quiet though because I think they heard me...

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"Ozpin?" One of the students sent by Ozpin asked,

"Yes?" By this time, a couple hours had passed and there was no sign of the hunter anywhere

"The man you sent us to find...I'm fairly certain he is long gone by now" Though a bit irked that the hunter managed to evade contact from all accounts of security, Ozpin was much more impressed than anything that the man escaped. Even if a bit...insulting. It seemed that the person didn't have any bad intentions, or at least hopefully, and the unknown entity had the intuition to take care of himself. Still, the green-suited man kept this man in mind for if further contact happened to occur...

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I managed to lose all of them and no eyes seem to be watching my presence. I'm not sure if where I came from was just stuck in the times, or this place is just highly advanced...But I managed to make it to civilization. Don't ask how I managed to pull that off, because I just went over all obstacles, ran, and then went over more obstacles to get here without looking back.

As I observe my surrounding...It feels so odd. No one is trying to mug me, shank me, or eat me alive for dinner. It's quite nice...But I think I should change my clothing; I keep getting these wandering eyes directed right at me. Granted, these people are clean and all and I look like...Eh...In all honesty, I'm unsure what analogy to use. Old? Old seems appropriate, but regardless of the critical eyes, I like the style of this outfit so I'm keeping it like that.

Okay...I need to fit in...Which unfortunately might mean I need to change style anyway...Ah screw fashion statements, what is their currency and language? I called out to the nearest person, who was wearing a blue uniform and seemed to be a form of authority judging from his...Oh crap he is in a very bad mood. I know those eyes like the back of my hand.

"Yeah? What do you want?" Ah, so we do speak the same language. That's great. He sounds quite rude, or quite irritated though. In his eyes, I could tell that he thinks that I am some foreigner...Or a vagabond hobo

"Eh...Can you tell me where I am?" I used a...certain accented voice to help me out in getting information. The authority figure, I assumed, scrunched up his face and looked at me like I was crazy,

"How the hell did you not know you were in Vale?" Vale? Never heard of that place. I wonder where that area is on the map.

"Next question, what is your currency?" The man's face went beyond being peeved and I could see a vein rupturing from his face,

"What kind of country bumpkin are you?! Lien! Are you screwing with me boy?"

"...To explain, I came from an isolated group of nomads and I was traveling in a random direction when I ended up here" Apparently that excuse worked because the man seemed to calm down slightly, he was still...rambunctious. He observed my clothing up and down before saying,

"I'm surprised someone like you even survived that long out there...Still, anything else?" Okay, he is lessening in his sour mood...I'm surprised he believed in the reasoning I have him.

"...You wouldn't happen to know where the library is, do you?" The authority figure pointed into a general direction and said nothing else. I thanked him good tidings and went toward the nearest library. Why a library? Knowledge, of course. I'm fairly certain I can read and I have never heard of Lien currency before...My education system be damned...Oh wait.

The library was bigger than expected...and cleaner...and for some reason I was expecting something to attack me from above or for something to strike me from the bookshelves. Not sure why though. The librarian was nice enough to allow me access to the books and read them at the spot; Last one I remembered wanted my blood.

...Okay...So...My ignorance knows no bounds...It seems like...from this large amount of books I just read, and the confirmation I can in fact read properly, that there are creature named Grimm...Which were those beasts I encountered in the forest...and apparently the world's name is Remnant...Uh...Did I honestly forget what the name of my own place of habitation was called? And why Remnant? What, was this world from the remains of an ancient god from a battle between the goddess-whatever and the Lord of Grimm? And when did these beasts exist? Grimm? What?! Was the place I was born into actually not that bad?! I call bull on that, loads of bull...

At least, from what I can tell, the Grimm are very numerous, and that would be one of their strengths. That, and their long life-spans. Other things included their growth over the years and how they can grow more intelligent...That is not very pleasant to think about. At least killing a whole lot of them may do some good in the long run, I hope.

Okay...There is this thing called Aura which people can develop in order to protect themselves from harm, heal wounds, and do some superhuman feats...Well that explains those teenagers. I want to do that, how the hell do I activate or unlock that amazing ability?

I found the map...I can't seem to spot my homeland and I see four large kingdoms...Never heard of all of them and I am fairly certain that the map reaches the entire world...I guess it must be localized...Wait, how did I get here if that were the case? How? Too many inconsistencies, or is this culture shock...

I am enjoying the peace and quiet with the books much more than I thought I would. So much so that it had gotten dark and the Librarian had to, politely, force me out. Fair enough...But...Where am I going to sleep?

At the beginning hours of nighttime, I wandered the streets and some thug tried to rob me. The small-fry actually thought a pocket knife would faze me; In return, I pulled out my church pick and the man turned tail and ran for his life while screaming "It's a hunter, fuck my luck!" Hunter?...Ah, I read about them. People who are specifically trained to take on the adversity of the threat of Grimm...If those teenagers were hunters and huntresses, then in all honesty I won't have to worry much about Grimm...Right?...Right?!

I took pursuit after the thug. They usually have a hide-out, no? Yes?

Without him realizing, he had led me back to his den, a rather large abandoned building that is far off the beaten pedestrian path. He was heavily breathing while in front of his, apparent, leader,

"Why're you here Leroy?" The leader didn't seem pleased, and he seemed even more upset when I unceremoniously came up behind the out-of-breath thug,

"Sir...I messed up bad and tried to rob an eccentric hunter...Hah..." The leader pointed at me

"You mean the one right behind you?" The man turned around, had the greatest shocked expression in the entire world, crapped his pants, then fell down on his behind,

"Ah!" He raised his hand at me and appeared to be begging for his life "Help me boss!" The boss of the thugs face palmed

"God damn it Leroy...Hunter" I looked to him, and I noticed his nose was slightly scrunching up. If one looked even closer, he had goosebumps lining his arms. However, the way he looked at me with his one hazel right eye had a haunting atmosphere about it with how it illuminated in the darkness,

"Yes?"

"So...Want to make a deal?"

"...Wait, you're not going to fight me?" The leader shrugged his shoulders,

"I'm not in the mood for fighting anyone tonight, and by chance that you kick all of our asses to the moon; The reward just isn't worth it...So what'll it be?"

"..." I am not used to this hospitality "How do you know that I will defeat all of you?" He narrowed his eyes

"I may not look like it, but there is a good reason why I'm the leader" He glanced at his men around him "...However these jokers do not add any impact to that statement, but I know, in my heart, that you will savagely beat us half to death" I returned a glace to every single person in the room,

"How's your living quarters?" This hospitality is so suspicious, it's not even funny. I wouldn't be surprised if this is a trick...I won't. Already seen a couple of strategies like that before...But...Either this man is surprisingly considerate, that fearful, or very sly at the craft of lying...Well I don't have much to lose and I probably might escape on my own...Probably...

Why am I taking such a risk? How did I become this soft in a matter of hours? Is the peace compelling me to do this? Or is some cosmic being experimenting with me?

Too many unnecessary questions...

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Yeah, yeah; I know that the RWBY cast didn't appear that often. But they will appear shortly...If I could write fast enough that is.


	2. Chapter 2: Shoegazer watched the stars

This story was originally a one-shot. I'd say it was a good idea to continue it as it is.

I think.

Touhou is life : Well it is an experimental writing style I'm trying out.

MadeInBestKorea: Similar? It practically is the cookie-cutter standard for Bloodborne/Rwby crossovers. Until the person who creates the fan-fic does something different. All I practically did was use the standard cliche' and see what I could do with it. Not sure what you mean by like-minded, but his reaction pretty much isn't as surprised as he should be, more or less, maybe. Then again, people have their own mileages so who knows. As for the 1st person view...Well that is a matter of preference. Granted, many stories write in 3rd person for a very good reason. So the most likely case would be removing the majority of the 1st person view, except for some parts, and just going the tried and true 3rd person perspective.

However that will happen next chapter because at the time of your review this chapter was already finished (And being edited)

Again, like stated before, this is just an experimental writing style.

There is also a plot hole in this chapter where a certain event happened a bit too early by a couple of days. I'm not sure how many people would give it a second thought, so I'm just putting that out there. A lapse of hindsight so I'm just going to leave it there. Or maybe, as comedic value, you can say that the hunter has been running up and down all over the surrounding area of Vale because he doesn't know his way around...and running around lasted for a couple days.

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Hm...Okay...So that thug boss turned out to be more polite than I thought. I was very much surprised, and even more delighted that the person was not a murderous, sociopathic bastard. He is, at the least, affably evil. Fate is not taking a massive crap on me this time. Even if this is for his own personal gain, this is a win-win situation...For once.

The room I was given was decent enough. Even if the conditions were not as great as some people are used to, for me, what I lived in before, this was just fine. A bed that didn't smell like urine, or had the stains to indicate it was used as an glorified toilet; a roof that, probably, didn't leak; Seldom any massive draft; and most importantly, there weren't any roaches or spiders to ruin my sleeping time...Hopefully.

At the time, I still had my doubts about whether the gang boss truly had a good heart, or at least a morality in the grey zone. As such, I searched any and all nooks, crannies, and even checking for secret passageways...Though there were no secret trapdoors hidden about, there were crannies everywhere; large enough to hide weapons or supplies in case of emergency. Before I went to bed, I set a trap just in case someone tried to slit my throat while I'm in a good dream. If someone tried to, they will get a face full of Molotov cocktail, giant head-sized rocks to their head and gonads, and get a pistol shot in the kneecap. Needless to say, the night went off without a hitch and I slept well for the first time in a while. However, that didn't stop me from sleeping with one eye open and one hand on my church pick...

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"So boss" One of the lackey's spoke to his boss while he was tending to his weapon; a pole hammer with a larger-than-average head and with mechanisms that actually made the weapon fire when it made contact with its target; The hammer part that is. It also had two safety's; One for the solid firing pin, which could move in and out of the head, and the second for the firing hammer, which can be safely put down to not preemptively set off the dust charges.

"Yes?" The boss was inspecting his weapon to see if there was any weakness in the construction, or dust residue still remaining in the head

"Why did you let him in that easily? Why couldn't you just...Let him be on his way?" The boss was cleaning out the inside with a damp cloth when he said

"He followed Leroy for a reason...He wasn't about to leave until he was compensated or given something to leave" He grabbed a thin, narrow stick and attached the cloth into it. He then started to thoroughly get the finer details of the weapon cleaned out

"Is...Back then, what did you see in him? Was he really that dangerous?" The boss paused momentarily before returning back to his duty

"Trust me; That man has seen much more than all of you combined, even if you had lived several lifetimes. He is a survivor, a strong one at that, and whatever he has seen would've caused most people to cry and die from stress" The underling was in awe of his boss' eye

"Wow, all that from seeing him?" The boss glanced at him with his one eye

"Not just seeing, but feeling and smelling too...Also I'm going to use him for something" The underling nodded his head

"Of course...You want me to bring him new clothing?" The boss finished cleaning his weapon and slammed the bottom of the shaft into the ground

"Of course, that man sticks out like a black crow among white doves" Thinking a bit about the options, the leader recommended "I think something with a lot of pockets would work just fine...Or at least a longcoat, I think he'll like that"

"Yes sir" The lower thug left his leader' sight as the man himself thought about the future,

"The Vytal festival...Wait I never got that guy's name"

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Before, I wasn't exactly the most self-confident or positive person. Even now, I am not exactly the pinnacle of optimism. At the very least, I am not brooding...much. Still...Where did most of my negativity go? And where the hell did I get some of my eloquence from? I wasn't exactly illiterate, but I wasn't a gentleman or scholar by any means...

Ah right, when the morning comes around I should get the gang leader to show me around town. It would be bad if I get lost...Though I could always run around until I find my way or find great treasures, the other way seems more practical and less frustrating if this city is a maze.

Now that I think about it...Did he even tell me his name?

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The morning came and the rising sun washed over the city of...Vale was it? No one interrupted my sleep, for once, and I managed to get into a good standing with a local gang leader. I spoke to him for a short amount of time and mentioned how I was new to the city and that I needed a run-down of its locations. Despite his...lack of faith in his men, it seemed that the man was confident enough the entire building won't fall from its foundations. Why do I say that? The fact that he himself was leading me around town...Why he didn't just let one of his men give me a tour around town I have no clue. I'm not complaining though and the man was generous enough to give me new clothes. It seems the man doesn't want me to attract unwanted attention, which I understand. The clothing included a full dark-colored apparel of a field jacket, cargo pants, field boots, wide brimmed hat, and a nice-looking long coat. After I switched out my inventory, I headed out with my new partner in crime.

Before doing so, I had my church pick strapped to the inside of my long coat, a bit awkwardly I may add, and had the pistol holstered and hidden away from plain view. This time, I had extra weapons set-up to be quickly selected on a moment's notice; a chunk of iron fitted with finger holes and something that resembles the carcass of an over-sized alien parasite from the great beyond. Why I thought using the parasite as an unarmed weapon is beyond me. If worse comes to worse, I could always end my opponents rightly by lobbing the chunk of iron at their head. _  
_

Then again, the giant head-sized rocks would have the same effect.

Or, if my weird urge is some indication, take my shirt off, put a bucket on my head, and start swinging. Not sure why I want to do that, but I think doing that alone will repel most people.

Now that I get a good look at him, without any dark or obscure lighting messing with my perception, my companion looked pretty good. He is man appearing in his mid-to-late 20s. His hair is short and is pepper-black, has a slightly-pale complexion, but nothing serious, and he has a dark-hazel colored right eye and his left eye is covered with a black-metal-reinforced eye-patch. His physique isn't great, but not bad. He is...Fairly above-average for what he is. Though that doesn't mean he has no muscle, because he does have something.

After finally entering the city and being shown the sights, the people, the districts, and the...'peace', I can officially say this; The city is fairly large, the buildings are fairly tall and the place is insanely clean. Also, my sympathy goes to the faunus...Which are...half-human, half-animal? I'm not sure what kind of genetics experiment happened around here, but other than appearance, there really isn't much reason to outright discriminate against them. Unless I read the wrong books. It's odd though, I couldn't find information on the animal-people's creation, nor did I ever remember encountering one in my past. Still though, I won't do much to help them. Why? Because the problem runs deep and I am only treating the symptoms, not the cause. At least I can say one thing; I can somewhat trust my current companion. I saw the way he looked at the racists. If looks could kill, then that could solve all of their problems.

I wonder why this man is a gang leader...

There also seems to be some sort of big event going on. Whether or not I enjoy it depends on what the heck it is. I still haven't talked to the crime boss about his name yet for some reason so I think I should mention it now,

"Mind telling me what your name is?" The unnamed boss looked at me with an expression that spoke 'Oh right, I forgot'

"Name's Toivo...You don't want to know what my last name is"

"Why?"  
"Because you will never remember it and it's a bit..."  
"Say it anyway" Toivo didn't resist much,  
"My last name is Harmaajärvi. The full name is Toivo Harmaajärvi" I reeled back slightly at his last name. Not because of the pronunciation, but how unexpectedly foreign the name was.

"I see...Now that we are saying our names, my name is..." Now that I think about it, what was my name again? Did I honestly just forget my actual- Oh wait, I was never given one; Only nicknames and insults. Except that one time, but I forgot. What is the first thing that comes to mind...Ah,

"German, my name's German..." Last name? I should put in a last name too...Uh..."Jaeger" This name sounds slightly...Stupid. German Jaeger, what the heck was I even thinking?

"German Jaeger? Hmph...Well it's interesting alright" Yet again, this man is very suspicious of me. I could see it in his eyes. I'm not sure why I chose German Jaeger as my name...Probably a psychological thing...Or sheer improvising. Still, it sounds more like a title than anything...Or a description of something.

Oh right, before I forget, "So what's this festival?" My now-named companion looked at my weirdly

"You honestly don't know?" It seems the festival is a big deal,

"I came from a group of nomads who isolated themselves far from everything else. I only just got here by sheer coincidence and luck" Toivo nodded his head several times,

"Ah" He mumbled out loud "That explains a couple things...Pretty impressive" Unlike the officer I saw earlier, Toivo seemed a little bit more skeptical. He turned his attention back to me "Well, if you truly didn't know, Vale is hosting the Vytal festival; This festival is an international festival held every two years where the various cultures of the world are celebrated with dances, parades and a combat tournament. The host kingdom of the festival rotates every two years, and the host opens its borders to visitors from the other kingdoms. Got that?" I nodded my head

"Very informative, thank you" As the two walked around, Toivo had an idea

"Want me to show you the harbor? You could probably see the different cultured people coming in right about now; I think the boat from Vacuo is coming" This person is nice...Too nice in fact. If he is trying to get on my good side, he is doing it very well. And it just so happens I'm intrigued,

"Lead the way"

After wandering around half of Vale, the both of us made it to the docks where the ships were just arriving. So this is what the sea smells like...Could be worse. I happen to like fish. They make good improvised weapons; Better if frozen. Well, while we're waiting for the well-made boats to park and dock, I shot up a conversation while both of us paid attention to the ships in front of us

"Are you afraid of me?" I caught Toivo off guard with that sudden question, but he responded quickly...Too quickly in fact.

"Yes" What an honest man, or did he prepare for this?

"Why?" I questioned. Yet again, the gang leader answered quickly,

"You know that adversity and life are one of the same. You know that more than me in fact. I respect you for that because that pain had made you strong. Stronger than you might think actually" How he could tell baffles me. I seriously want to know who the hell he is. Wish that he could stop trying to be deep though.

"That doesn't answer my question" The boat's horn started tooting

"Despite lacking what official hunters and huntresses have, you have the capability and potential to trump them...Some of them anyway. Plus, something is different with your scent...Your blood even" I seriously doubt I could easily take out those superhuman hunters.

"How can you tell? And for that matter, I don't think I've bled yet, so how are you sure?"

"Instincts...and your clothes are a dead give-away. I'll use this quote for perspective: The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown" In the corner of my eye, I noticed someone far in the back near a broken in dust-shop. Four people to be exact. I recognized them as the four of the eight-man group who took care of the over-sized bird and scorpion. So I was correct about their battle capabilities, that's good. Oh, and speaking of the unknown, I wonder who those girls are.

"Hm...I understand...So your reasoning for being so honest with me?"

"It's better to make friends, than to create enemies...and I prefer not to fight off someone who smells like a beast"

"What do you mean by beast-"

"Hey! Stop that faunus!" A sailor shouted as two men were in pursuit of a monkey-faunus. They were running across the deck when the faunus hopped on top of the boat rim, looked towards them, and said

"Thanks for the ride, guys! Hehe" He jumped off, landed on the dock, and ran off with the sailors shouting off,

"You no-good stowaway!" Then, not even that far off from the boat, the monkey-man was hanging off a lamp post, legs crossed, and had a banana in his hands...So what's stopping the sailors from shooting him? They're at sea right? There is bound to be aquatic Grimm running amok and ruining everyone' day. What about pirates? Or a mutiny?

"Hey! a 'no-good' stowaway would have been caught. I'm a great stowaway." Well, it seems that faunus has a good sense of humor...and optimism. He began eating his banana when two detectives approached him, one threw a large rock, and the one with the beard commanded,

"Hey. Get down here this instant" Then the monkey-boy threw the leftover banana peel at that man's face; Causing him to growl in frustration. The monkey-man then spun himself to the top of the light pole and made a mischievous laugh, jumped high into the air, landed perfectly, and then started running again. The two detectives took pursuit.

After the run up the stairs, the blonde monkey-man ran passed the four girls I saw earlier, winked at the one in black, and continued running without looking back. Due to our distance, I couldn't quite catch what they were saying, but the blonde one with a large bosom mentioned something about a competition and the white in the white dress said something about observing. Then all of them, except the one in black, ran after the faunus man. The one in black seemed hesitant and paused for a few seconds before running after her team.

I looked at my companion and said, "What an interesting culture of stowawaying on boats from Vacuo" Toivo glared at me blankly

"If you tried to be funny, then you failed miserably"

"...Are you going to tell me what you meant by smelling like a beast?"

"...So you don't know?"

Toivo left me wondering about what he meant by beast. He was very ambiguous about it and wouldn't hand over any extra information. It's actually quite unnecessary and that may or may not make certain situations much more difficult than they should be.

Later that day, my first friend assisted me with trading cultural values from the people of Vacuo. All I have to say is that they are desert people who adapted to the harsh environment. In other words; Rough, tough, probably friendly, and somewhere I am not traveling to soon unless it was necessary. Or I get sedated and sent over there in a sealed crate.

After getting the general idea of the city layout, we returned back to home base, which thankfully didn't burn down to the ground.

"So then, how long will you let me stay here?" I asked and Toivo had to think about it for a bit.

"...In all honesty, we have plenty of room and we don't do much these days...In short, until we kick you out, the place gets raided, or this entire building falls. Whatever comes first" So then, I now have a home; If a little temporary, but a home nonetheless. Now that I have a place to sleep, I will now proceed to wander the city alone, at night, and personally enjoy some of the nighttime commodities. Toivo didn't care what I did; just as long as I don't die, get involved into some deep world conspiracy, or accidentally bring the police on them. Other than that, he was cool about it.

Ah, and considering my...foreign nature, the man actually lent me some Lien. I don't know the exchange rate, but any money is good money and I, probably, won't waste it like an idiot. Also, he really knows how to make a friend out of me. Even if he tells me to do something, which probably might be illegal with the law, I will do it anyway. Why? The police, or my place's equivalent, have already been on my trail before because of my incursions. So...What's a little bit more notoriety on my record?

As night fell, I decided to take a visit to a place called a 'cafe' and try some of their food and drinks. Unlike last time, no one tried to rob me of my possessions. Other than the occasional less-than-common crime, this city seems peaceful enough. I should probably develop a skill...But I'm not sure what type or kind for that matter. Maybe I should do something related to blood if the large amounts of blood in my inventory is something to go by. Or should I be a salesman of the occult? And by the off-chance I actually remember how I procured some of my items, I may try to mass-produce them; Seems useful, no? Who wouldn't want to become invisible? Or scare their friends from their skin? My weapon seems practical, so why not let hunters have a go at it?

Once I had made it to the café, I entered the establishment and took notice of every single conversation around the place. The smiling faces, the couple kissing over in the corner, a couple of guys and girls talking about...some famous person named Pyrrha- or something, and the lone person here and there just eating something. This air of normalcy is so surreal to me that I might die from the culture shock. How does one develop their civilization to be like this? Also, I now see what a true smile looks like and a laughter that doesn't have evil-intention bleeding out in the spades...Well except some of the employees. It appears a couple of them want to kill themselves.

When I got to the workers, they shined a forced smile which seemed very painful for them. The one I was with started to greet me,

"Hello sir, may I take your order?" My pity goes to faunus-kind and civil servants.

"Hm...What do you recommend? Something cheap to be exact"

"Do you want something like the super foamy sugar-free frozen chai or a salted caramel white chocolate mocha?" His mouth and left eye twitched from saying that. It seemed like a recent customer really got to his nerves. Also...

"What the hell kind of voodoo witchcraft magic incantation did you just say?" The man seemed relieved that I wanted something simple and the atmosphere around him changed a bit, if only temporary. What I got was an iced tea and buttered biscuits. When I sat down and had my meal, I was fairly surprised on how good it tasted. Or at the least, it had taste and wasn't vomit-inducing. After finishing, I returned the plate and silverware, bid the employees a good night, and left.

When I looked up to the sky, I admired the endless dark space and countless stars in the distance. The moon...Wait, what the heck?! The moon is closer than I remembered and it's in pieces. How in the world does that even happen? What force of the universe thought it was a good idea to partially destroy the moon? Or did humanity think that destroying each other and the earth wasn't enough so they decided to blow up the moon?...Ramblings aside, at least I can confirm one thing; I'm officially on another world. It definitely explains all of the inconsistencies I've been seeing everywhere. It also tells me that I was not a blind-bat for the entirely of my lifespan. But...How did that even happen? How is that possible? I am not a scholar in quantum physics, the study of space-time, nor a follower of witchcraft to even comprehend how such a thing can occur.

One thing I can say about my situation now...Should I be glad I was sent here? I should be more surprised at this, but for some reason I don't. There may be Grimm on the prowl, but if the teenagers skills are something of a good reference point, and if the information in the book was relatively up-to-date, then there shouldn't be too many problems.

If per chance I am wrong and there happens to be rogue hunters and huntresses everywhere...Well...I'll stop running and, from what I saw in one book, 'United we stand'.

It was at that point, something strained inside of my head. Jagged memories and fragments of them. I held my head due to the sharp headache, but it wasn't enough to bring me to my knees. However, that changed when I suddenly felt like I was torn asunder from within. I felt detached and segregated as I dropped down unceremoniously.

I witnessed memories, and all of those memories were related to the moon; An endless white abyss covered in water and the red-shining moon glowing right on me; An amalgamation of flesh and blood coming from the moon; And finally, a tall, thin, pale lanky man with a giant placenta over his right hand looking straight to the yellow, eerie moon and the sea; That things cry sounded strangely similar to a certain hunter.

I was suddenly brought back to my plane of existence. I coughed violently and felt like my head was about to split apart. Not wanting to suddenly collapse on the street again, I picked myself up and sauntered back home while looking down on the ground. I never took a gander at the moon, even if it was a reflection.

A few words echoed in my mind, that of a soft, yet monotonous woman's voice, "Farewell, good hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world"

* * *

"You will die, forget the dream, and awake under the morning sun"

One does not simply forget what happens in Yharnam...Though getting your head cut off might do the trick.

Also, "German" as a first name is an actual and legitimate real first name. It is also a legitimate surname.


End file.
